“I’m here for assignment, not to report. I doubt he will be in a better mood from that, but I’ll do what I can, Gretchen.” Charm assured her with a smile.
She brightened a bit at the gesture and Shade had to fight the impulse to roll his eyes. It seemed as though every Fionaveir somehow believed Charm was capable of any miracle. It was even worse with the women. If the rogue so much as smiled in their direction, it was as if the Aspects themselves had arrived to offer blessings.
“Just out of curiosity, where was Victory returning from?” Charm asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Merro. From what I gather, he was supposed to bring the Merrodin girl back with him,” Gretchen answered softly.
Charm nodded and bowed his head to her slightly. “Thank you Gretchen. I’ll see what I can do to sweeten his mood.”
“You aren’t going in there now are you?” Gretchen asked, quickly grabbing his arm before he could take a single step.
“I had intended to.” Charm began slowly with another smile forming on his lips. “I’m sure it will be fine and Victory will no doubt appreciate the back up,” he assured her, patting her hand lightly before freeing himself from her grasp. “Come on Shade. He needs a new victim and you are perfect for the role.”
“Thanks so much,” Shade agreed, casting his own smile in Gretchen’s direction. It had nowhere near the same effect, he noticed. Rather than looking charmed the woman simply looked at him with pity clearly written on her face. “I begin to understand your name more,” Shade murmured to Charm as they walked. “Do you actually have some sort of enchantment you use on them?”
Charm regarded him dryly as he pulled open the first of the double doors and motioned him inside. “Yes it’s insidious. I call it manners and courtesy.” Charm whispered as Shade stepped past him.
“Smart ass,” Shade shot back quietly before turning his attention to the room’s occupants.
Lutheron stood glowering beside a table. From the expression on his face it was clear that he had not expected anyone to be foolish enough to enter without knocking. Victory sat at the table and by his expression it was clear he had been praying for someone to open the door. Across the room from them, leaning against the wall, stood Vaze, still wearing the strange black armor and not bothering to look up at the sound of the door. He was holding a glass globe in his hands and turning it over slowly, staring at it with an absorbed look in his dark eyes.
The sound of the door closing drew Lutheron’s gaze off Vaze and onto Charm. The rogue brushed past him and smiled at Lutheron whose glare softened to mild displeasure. “Sorry it took me so long to bring him back,” Charm offered and dropped down in the seat beside Victory.
“It would seem things have changed a bit more than I had expected. I had planned for you to help the Fionaveir in another way but that apparently can’t happen,” Lutheron began, his voice close to a growl.
“Oh, really? How so?” Charm asked, his tone bright as if everything was perfect in the world.
“It’s true, here they are,” Vaze spoke up, his voice sounding monotone and distant. Lutheron’s eyes snapped that direction and he crossed the room quickly and leaned over the other man’s shoulder to peer into the dark glass.
“What the hell?” Shade whispered to Charm who shrugged and looked to Victory for answer.
“Jala has gone to the Darklands to retrieve Finn’s soul,” Victory said softly, his voice filled with misery. “Lutheron sent me to bring her back to the city. Merrodin isn’t strong enough to stand on its own, but she was already gone.”
“Bloody, buggering hell.” Lutheron growled, his face turning a darker shade of red and one vein standing out on his forehead. “Is that Troyelle’s boy with her?” He snarled.
Vaze nodded slowly, apparently unfazed by Lutheron’s display of temper. “It is, though I don’t know the Darklands well enough to tell exactly where they are. I believe they may be near the Forgotten. It’s impressive that they are still alive thus far.” His voice was slowly regaining its usual pitch.
“It’s true then, and not some line of bullshit as I had hoped.” Lutheron let out a long sigh and paced back to the table. Plucking a bottle from the center he opened it and began to pour a drink as he locked his gaze on the three men across from him. “This knowledge does not leave this room. Is that understood?” He spoke in a flat voice that brooked no argument, but Shade could see Victory squirm in his chair.
“I will have to tell Havoc. She is his family.” Victory began but fell silent as Lutheron’s dark gaze locked on him once more.
“You will not tell that hot-headed fool a thing.” Lutheron growled slamming the decanter back down on the table. Silence fell across the room once more as Lutheron raised the glass to his lips.
Shade stole a glance at Charm and found the rogue looking uneasy. That was certainly not a good sign. Of all of them in the room, only Vaze seemed at ease. Shade flicked his gaze to the warrior and watched him, hoping to get some sort of sign as to how to act.
Vaze had lowered the globe and was watching Lutheron with a thoughtful expression. “I could go after her,” he offered finally. “I know the Darklands better than anyone living that I know of.”
“Absolutely not. She has made this mess. I can’t risk losing you over it as well,” Lutheron grumbled. His temper seemed to be cooling.
“Actually, whoever killed the Sovaesh boy started the mess,” Vaze corrected, his dark eyes locked on Lutheron.
“Ridiculous. People die. That doesn’t mean you go traipsing off into hell to collect them when they do. Chances are if they go to hell when they die they don’t bloody well need to be brought back to life,” Lutheron snarled.
“That is a very good point,” Shade agreed quietly, drawing the eyes of everyone in the room.
“Shade, shut the hell up,” Charm hissed, eyes flicking back to Lutheron with a meaningful look.
“She has very little chance of success alone,” Vaze pointed out quietly.
“Then we have to factor her out of future planning. I regret it, Vaze, I truly do, but she made the choice,” Lutheron said in even tones. His anger had apparently passed as swiftly as it had risen.
“What do you need of me that is more important than Jala Merrodin?” Vaze asked, his voice level, but holding a hint of warning in it. His posture had changed too, Shade noted silently. The warrior no longer lounged. Instead, he stood rigid with every muscle coiled as though he expected a fight.
“I expect you to secure the city. There are Blights running loose within the bounds of Sanctuary. I expect you to kill them. I’d give the task to another, but they would die,” Lutheron replied with faint smirk. He knew he had won the argument with those few words.
Letting out a long sigh, Vaze nodded slowly and relaxed against the wall once more. “As you say, Lutheron. Do we have a location for them?”
“No, which brings me to another matter. Charm, I had planned to send you to help the Merrodin girl. That was before I realized what a fool she was. Now I will keep you close to help someone that is more worthy of your skills. You and Shade will both be assigned to guard and help Symphony when she arrives. Shade, I understand you have more practice with the Blight form. Is it true they can sense their kind when they draw near?” Lutheron spoke with a calm authority and it seemed the matter of helping Jala would be forgotten.
“You know, I could go in Vaze’s place. I’m not irreplaceable to the Fionaveir and Jala is a friend of mine,” Shade offered. He knew he was treading on dangerous ground by ignoring Lutheron’s question completely, but he wasn’t willing to let the topic of Jala simply slide away so easily.
“No, you are needed here. Now can you sense the Blights?” Lutheron said with a bit of irritation.
“No, I can’t. I’ve heard they can sense each other but I haven’t figured out how they use that particular skill. I can camouflage and that’s about it,” Shade answered bluntly allowing a bit of his own irritation to seep into his voice. He understood leadership
well enough, but Lutheron wasn’t so much a leader as he was a tyrant. The man simply refused to listen to any logic other than his own.
“Then you will accompany Vaze on his first hunt to see if you can master it,” Lutheron said with a nod and then looked back to Charm as if in dismissal. “You will stay by Symphony as much as she will allow it. Watch everyone that speaks with her and take notes of what they speak about. There is a question of trust in the Fionaveir right now and I don’t want Symphony being fed lies. If you see anything questionable, make note of it and inform me at your first opportunity. When she dismisses you, ensure that Shade is there to take your place. In the Blight form, of course, and unseen.”
“Wait! You want me to watch her without her knowing I’m there?” Shade objected, stepping closer to the table as he spoke.
Lutheron looked back toward him with annoyance gleaming in his dark eyes. “For her protection, Shade. She won’t allow a guard on her night and day, as she should. I do what I must to keep her safe. Without Symphony, there isn’t much point in this rebellion now is there?”
“I won’t do it,” Shade said firmly. “I’ll guard her if she knows I’m there, but I won’t skulk in the shadows with her oblivious to my presence.”
Lutheron gave an exaggerated sigh and looked back to Charm. “I will leave it to you to explain it to him. See that you are prepared for her arrival. Until then I have no further orders.”
“When should we expect her to arrive, Sir?” Charm asked politely as he stood from his chair and cast a withering look in Shade’s direction.
Shade glared back at him and shook his head in silent refusal. The simple idea of spying on Symphony was appalling to him. He didn’t want to invade her life in that way. To put himself in her place and know that someone was watching him twenty-four hours a day, was horrifying.
Lutheron pursed his lips and glanced out the window toward the wreckage of the city, then let out a long breath. “Three days, I would guess. I want most of this mess cleaned up before she arrives,” he answered and then motioned toward the door. “You may go. I have a few things I need to discuss with Vaze and then I’ll send him to Shade to arrange a hunting time.”
“Yes Sir, good day Sir,” Charm said crisply and headed to the door with Victory and Shade in tow.
“I thought he didn’t like the sir treatment,” Shade mumbled as they left the room.
“When he is in that sort of mood, it is best to be proper. By the way, never object openly like that. If it’s something you truly cannot stomach, than give it time and speak with another of the councilors. Remedy would have listened to you and likely agreed,” Charm said in a voice that seemed exhausted.
“When he is in that sort of mood it’s best not to speak at all, let alone object,” Victory sighed and smiled weakly at Charm. “My apologies for leaving him in such dark spirits before you arrived. Had I known you had an appointment with him I would have delayed my arrival.”
Charm shrugged. “Lutheron has a mean bark, but very rarely ever bites. You have to be a complete moron to provoke him into physical violence.”
“Why did you look at me when you said that?” Shade asked, noting that the rogue’s eyes were still on him, even as he spoke.
“The answer to that should be obvious. You need to learn to read the tides better, Shade. There are days when you can press your luck, and then, as Victory says, days you should just shut the hell up.”
“I’m not scared of him,” Shade pointed out as he motioned behind him with a sweep of his hand. “I’ve seen scarier,” he added and then frowned as he noticed everyone in the room staring at him. “I’m going back to my ship. If you want to convince me you can do it there.”
“Did you do an inventory of the ships there as Remedy asked for earlier?” Charm asked before he could leave.
Shade paused by the door and nodded. “Four Eagles, three hawks, eight doves and a sparrow though I have no idea who had a sparrow. They stopped making that class years ago.”
“What?” Victory and Charm said in unison both of them staring at him as if he had spoken complete gibberish.
Shade cleared his throat and sighed then began again. “Four Eagles or transport ships. By the look of these I’d say they have been used for cargo vessels rather than passenger transport. Three hawks such as my own ship in size. Eight doves which are the same as a hawk in size but have no weapon systems. The doves are generally used for luxury transport for the wealthy. Then the sparrow which is a one person ship very small and not very useful. They were originally designed for spying but failed in that purpose as they give off too large a magical signature,” Shade explained with exaggerated patience and then nodded his farewell to them.
Stepping from the door, he gazed upward and inhaled deeply. It was a beautiful day out. The air was the crisp cold of early winter and the sky was a blanket of blue without a cloud in sight. If he could simply keep his gaze upward and away from the ruin of the city and manage to keep his mind off Jala’s plight, he could possibly enjoy the day. Neither seemed likely, however. The idea of traveling into the Darklands hadn’t been a pleasant one, but he would have. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was to help Jala or to redeem himself. His actions in Rivana still haunted his conscience and surely retrieving her from hell would have made up for it.
With a heavy sigh he crossed the streets toward the Sky port and scanned the ships there once more. With the exception of the Eagle class the rest barely looked as though they had been flown. They were in immaculate condition. His own ship looked like a heap next to them. With its battered panels and lack of paint it was truly a sparrow among songbirds. Even the actual sparrow class looked better than his own ship he noted with a smirk.
“Shade, a moment before you start your work again.” Vaze’s voice came from just behind him.
Pausing, Shade turned and looked at the man with open curiosity. “Lutheron finished with you quickly,” he said with a nod of greeting.
“Lutheron dismissed me early because he didn’t like what I was saying,” Vaze replied with a shrug. “He doesn’t like to be corrected,” he added and motioned for Shade to continue walking.
“So, what do you need to speak with me about?” Shade asked cautiously.
“These ships, actually. Have their owners come forward yet?” Vaze asked as he ran his hand across one of the Doves they were passing.
Shade shrugged. “Not that I’ve seen, but then with all of the activity over the last few days they may be afraid to. Why?”
“I’m going to announce that if they are not claimed within one week they will be considered property of the Fionaveir,” Vaze began and grinned at Shade. The expression seemed out of place on the normally expressionless face. “I’ve informed Lutheron of this and he isn’t happy with what I have in mind.”
“What do you have in mind?” Shade asked, growing cautious.
“I plan to have you teach Symphony to fly, as well as a few others. I wouldn’t expect you to use your own ship for such things, though, so wait, and pick the best of the unclaimed ships. That should keep Lutheron’s gaze firmly on you. He will be frantic at the idea of Symphony flying,” Vaze explained.
“Uhh. Why would I want Lutheron’s gaze firmly on me?” Shade began, his caution shifting over to outright distaste.
“Because it will keep his eyes off me while I’m in the Darklands,” Vaze finished, looking to Shade with a raised eyebrow. “Three days from now we will eliminate the Blight problem. Once that has been dealt with, I will leave the city. You will begin flight lessons that day even if it’s simply teaching her the parts of the ship and not actually flying.”
“On the day she arrives in the city? We aren’t even going to give her a chance to get settled?” Shade asked, incredulous.
“Afraid not. Time works differently in the Darklands, and while its only three days for us, it’s much longer for Jala. Symphony will need the distraction anyway. It will keep her mind off the dead,” Vaze answered with a sigh.
Vaze regarded him with deep purple eyes and the smile slowly returned to his face. “I didn’t ask him, Shade. I follow the orders he gives me. I will kill the Blights before I go, as he asked. Whatever I do after that is my own business. I’m a councilor of the Fionaveir, not a lowly grunt to hang on his every word.”
“He seemed so adamant,” Shade began but Vaze cut him off with a quick gesture of the hand.
“And so am I. I have been remiss. She is my blood and I shouldn’t have left her as I did. When Magdalyn died, I should have collected Jala myself rather than allow her to be left at the temple. I don’t think she was foolish in the least for entering the Darklands. I think she was bold as our line should be. I won’t see her die because of it.” Vaze stopped walking and looked to Shade. The smile was no longer on his face as he spoke. “Will you assist me with Lutheron’s attention until I’m out of the city?”
“If you will answer one question for me,” Shade said quietly as he looked around for anyone that might be listening.
“And what would that be?” Vaze asked. He raised an eyebrow at Shade and then made a quick gesture with one hand. The shadows of the street seemed to lengthen around them and the area grew silent of all other noise. “Speak freely, no one will overhear. The Shadows guard our words now.”
“What is the council doing about the traitor? Surely you will admit there is one after the night of the assault. The Justicars were bloody well waiting for us,” Shade said, his eyes locked on Vaze’s face. He’d always been good at reading people, just not so good at acting according to what he read. Vaze however was difficult to read anything from. The man had a guarded way about him, not giving any hints to his thoughts.
The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes Page 6